lostonearth35 wrote:
I don't get it, why doesn't occur to them the pet isn't going to be tiny and adorable forever and they are just as superficially biased as they are with other humans?
This is besides your point but I have to say something about them not being adorable anymore.
I don't see how they stop being adorable even when they're old and large. With dogs they always seem to act like puppies. They're always affectionate and as they get older they play less often but they seem to have bursts of energy. Even at the age of 13 my parents' dog can be so playful and his eyes still have the same affection that they always have. He gets confused because he's getting old but it's impossible to not get the same warm feelings from his expressions than you would from his tininess. He's bigger but that doesn't make him less adorable.
Part of it may be that my parents' make sure he isn't in pain. They give him arthritis medication so he can still enjoy life and because of that you can see the light in his eyes even at the age of 13.
They don't stay tiny but they can stay adorable even at an age they're not expected to reach.